A mansion located in Pyeongchang-dong.
The luxurious three-story exterior was more than enough to draw the attention of passersby.
How much would a house like that cost?
Who could possibly live in such a place?
In a capitalist society, nothing showcased one’s wealth more blatantly than a house.
Owning a home had become nothing more than a dream for the younger generation.
That was why Jang Jin-hwan, who had achieved success at a young age, felt an immense sense of pride in himself.
Sitting on a sofa on the third floor, watching people beyond the window, he felt a surge of exhilaration.
“Those vermin could never even dream of this. Yes, of course not.”
As he took a sip of premium whiskey, something ordinary people couldn’t even dare to afford, the warmth trailing down his throat excited him even more.
“Now, let’s see. Who should I call over today?”
This was his favourite time of the week.
Saturday night.
The time to indulge in his own private party…
“What the hell?”
Suddenly, every light in the mansion went out. Darkness swallowed the surroundings.
A creeping sense of unease made Jang Jin-hwan rise from his seat.
“A blackout?”
Not once had this ever happened in his time living here.
A power outage in such a high-end mansion? Ridiculous.
Fumbling through his pockets, he took out a lighter and lit the candle on the desk.
Fwoosh!
A fragrant scent spread through the air, lightning the room.
And in that dim light, a man’s face appeared.
Jang Jin-hwan recoiled in terror, stumbling backward and collapsing onto the floor.
“H-Hiiik! Who are you?!”
The man stared at him in silence before speaking.
“Are you Jang Jin-hwan?”
Jang Jin-hwan’s mind raced at full speed.
An alarm bell of crisis rang wildly in his head.
“Guards! Guards! Where the hell are my guards?!”
As someone who had paved his way to success, Jang Jin-hwan had hired personal security for his mansion in case of emergencies.
Five in total.
It might seem like a small number, but for a private residence, it was an unusually high level of security.
However, no response came.
“Stop barking.”
Before entering the mansion, Taeseong had already put them to sleep.
Of course, they were unharmed.
“Wh-who the hell are you?!”
Taeseong was in a foul mood.
He had expected it, but confirming that the man who ordered his parents’ murder was none other than Park Ilhwan of Ilseong Group had left a bitter taste.
And now, standing before him was someone deeply involved in that crime.
He wanted to rip the man apart right then and there.
But he held back with sheer, inhuman patience for one reason only.
Park Ilhwan.
He needed this bastard’s help to find him.
He had considered using Choi Harin, the head of the intelligence team, but Ilseong Group’s database was locked behind multiple layers of security. Even she would need time.
Modern warfare was all about intelligence.
But sometimes, direct action was the most efficient.
“Ilseong Group’s Chief Secretary, Jang Jin-hwan. That’s you, right?”
“Who the fuck are you?! S-Shit! Can’t you hear me?! Do you even know who I am and what you’re doing right now?!”
“…”
“Where are you from? Who sent you?! The Chinese? The Japanese? Ah! Are you an assassin from the opposition party?!”
Judging by his endless rambling, he must have made plenty of enemies.
But Ta-seong wasn’t interested in talking.
Glancing around, he grabbed an iron decoration nearby and drove it into Jang Jin-hwan’s finger.
“KUAAAAAGH!”
“Stop spouting nonsense and answer only my questions. If you talk nonsense again, I’ll drive another one into your fingers. Got it? Nod if you understand.”
Terrified, Jang Jin-hwan frantically nodded.
“Ilseong Group’s Park Ilhwan. You serve him, right?”
“…”
“Three. Two—”
Before he could even finish counting to one, Taeseong stabbed another spike into his finger.
Jang Jin-hwan screamed in agony, clutching his bleeding hand.
Only then did he realize—the man before him did not care about his life at all.
“Answer.”
“Y-Yes! I do!”
“The truck driver, Yeo Gilsoo. You know him?”
“Y-Yes!”
“The prosecutor couple he ‘accidentally’ killed. Why did they have to die?”
“…”
“Looks like this isn’t working.”
Taeseong drove all remaining spikes into Jang Jin-hwan’s right hand.
His body twisted in unbearable pain, but Taeseong remained unmoved.
“You still don’t want to answer? Suit yourself. I have plenty of time.”
“P-Please spare me.”
“I thought you were smarter, but you’re just an idiot. Did you already forget what I just said?”
This time, he ripped an entire finger off.
Jang Jin-hwan’s eyes rolled back as drool came from his mouth.
For someone who had always stood at the top, tormenting others, this was his first taste of true suffering.
“Did it never cross your mind that this day would come?”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“You should have lived your life more carefully. I’ll ask one last time. Why did Park Ilhwan order the deaths of Prosecutor Lee Wangbok and Kim Youngja?”
“I-It was the young master’s order! I only did as I was told!”
“Why did Park Ilhwan give that order?”
Even with Taeseong standing right before him, Jang Jin-hwan hesitated.
That was how terrifying Ilseong Group’s influence was.
“T-They… The prosecutors…”
“They what?”
“They openly opposed Ilseong Group.”
“Tell me everything.”
“In the past, young master caused an incident, and the two prosecutors you mentioned dug into it relentlessly. Even though the case was already closed, they continued to push the investigation.”
“Go on.”
“Besides that, they kept prying into Ilseong Group’s slush funds and projects, which greatly displeased the chairman.”
“So, you killed them? Just because they were displeased?”
“It wasn’t meant to go that far from the start! We tried to settle things by offering them money, and even applied pressure from above, but they wouldn’t budge. They were unbelievably stubborn…When I looked into it, I found out they were notorious within the prosecution office for their bullheadedness. Even when we tried to end it peacefully…”
Taeseong froze his lips shut, then briefly thought of his parents.
The faint image of them lingering in his memory.
They had always been upright and full of goodwill.
His father, who told him to live helping the weak.
His mother, who told him never to tolerate injustice.
Thinking of how they stood firm against pressure from above, never once accepting a bribe, made his insides burn.
If only you had just closed your eyes and bent your pride a little.
Then at least, you’d still be here by my side.
‘But then again.’
That’s just who you were.
Who do you think I got my stubbornness from?
Sooah and I both.
We’re exact copies of you.
So from now on…
“I’ll do things my way too.”
Taeseong let his lips move again.
Immediately, the man cried out desperately.
“I told you everything honestly! Please, just spare my life!”
“The questions aren’t over yet.
Tell me where Park Ilhwan is and name every prosecutor who pressured my parents.”
For about two hours, Taeseong tortured Jang Jinhwan, who eventually spilled everything he knew.
“T-This is everything. I really don’t know anything else.
Please! Please, just my life…”
Crunch!
Taeseong crushed Jang Jinhwan’s skull, wiped the blood off his clothes, and turned away.
Taeseong hunted down every prosecutor and politician on his list.
At first, the prosecutors acted arrogantly, but once their limbs were shattered, they became obedient.
Some tried to bribe him with their entire fortunes, while others begged for their lives, pleading for the sake of their families.
But Taeseong knew the truth.
Their words were nothing but empty attempts to escape their immediate crisis.
Even without digging too deeply, once he cracked open one, their filthy deeds came spilling out one after another.
Drugs.
Rape.
Sexual assault.
Contract killings.
Kidnapping.
Blackmail.
“You people sure had your fill.”
Following his own set of standards, Taeseong showed what he considered mercy.
Instead of taking their lives, he left them crippled, ensuring they would never walk again.
Perhaps that was a fate worse than death, but there was no reason for him to care.
Taeseong was well aware.
He wasn’t some dark hero acting on a noble mission to purge the world of evil.
This was nothing but revenge.
If killing made someone evil, then he was undoubtedly evil.
Some might ask him—
What right do you have to take lives?
Yes, they were criminals, but do you have the authority to punish them?
The law exists, so who are you to judge them?
And to that, Taeseong would simply reply—
Who cares?
Authority? That’s meaningless.
Judgment? This isn’t about that.
This is just my own personal reckoning.
Taeseong felt no guilt in ridding the world of garbage.
So, whether people pointed fingers at him or threw curses, he didn’t care.
They were free to do so.
If the entire nation of South Korea had conspired to harm his family, Taeseong wouldn’t have hesitated to turn the whole country into his enemy.
And without a second thought, he would have wiped South Korea off the map.
The only thing keeping a shred of his humanity intact was the family he still had left.
And the moral foundation his parents had instilled in him.
.
.
.
South Korea was in an uproar.
Every day, the media reported on the string of attacks against politicians and prosecutors.
It was only natural—so many high-ranking officials had been killed overnight.
Yet, the citizens’ reaction was different.
A massacre of this scale should have instilled fear, but instead, most people felt exhilaration.
Because along with their deaths, the horrific crimes of these powerful figures had been fully exposed.
Of course, the one handling the aftermath was Choi Harin, who, at this very moment, was cursing Taeseong while pulling an all-nighter.
“Serves them right! Those filthy bastards! I knew they’d get what was coming!
Even his face always looked shady as hell.”
“Exactly. Feels damn refreshing.”
“Did I ever tell you? My friend’s cousin was threatened by that scumbag.”
Listening in on the conversations among the citizens, Taeseong set off toward his next destination.
It was time for the main course.”